Open Mic Thread November 30, 2011

Sorry for my lack of participation lately. A whole lot going on the USW world. I will provide more information when I have the time to do so. In the mean time, here is a new open mic thread for everyone.

Bono also had praise for one American president in particular. Not President Barack Obama or former President Bill Clinton, but instead for President George W. Bush, who, according to Bono, had set a precedent for Obama to follow.

“We’re hoping very much that President Obama is going to follow through on what President Bush did,” Bono said. “I know that’s hard for you to accept. It was amazing. You know, people like John Kerry worked for this and Hillary Clinton, and eventually President Clinton did some extraordinary stuff renegotiating the prices of … very expensive drugs down. But George kind of knocked it out of the park. I can tell you, and I’m actually here to tell you, that America now has 5 million people being kept alive by these drugs. That’s something everybody should know.”

I will call absolute bullshit on that study. I did not see it. If you find a minute post a link to it here. I am surprised that someone as educated as you would fall for such a BS claim from any “study” Buck. 😉

But Mathius – Fox News watchers will at least know that pepper spray used on liberal elitist brains posing as college students is nothing more than a food product – as suitable for chicken wings or roast pork sandwiches as it is for eyeballs.

The amazing thing to me, Ray, is how many people defend the actions of the cop (and the other cops for not intervening). I know I wasn’t there, but I just cannot reconsile myself to consider that it was a “necessary response” because the crowd or protesters were a “threat.” I’m no longer shocked when people do things like this – but it’s dismaying that others would defend their actions.

I don’t watch Fox News (of course), but do you happen to know how they handled reporting on this story? I’d be very interested.

All I have seen are the several second clips posted to other sites – the Fox response was lukewarm at best. I just get kickers watching Megyn Kelly dismiss pepper spray as a food product. I’d accept that as an appropriately dismissive attitude if she submitted herself to being pepper sprayed with that quantity of spray at point blank range.

AMY GOODMAN: I want to turn to Elli Pearson. Elli, describe exactly what happened on Friday.

ELLI PEARSON: Well, we were protesting together, and the riot cops came at us, and we linked arms and sat down peacefully to protest their presence on our campus. And at one point, they were—we had encircled them, and they were trying to leave, and they were trying to clear a path. And so, we sat down, linked arms, and said that if they wanted to clear the path, they would have to go through us. But we were on the ground, you know, heads down. And all I could see was people telling me to cover my head, protect myself, and put my head down. And the next thing I know, I was pepper-sprayed.

AMY GOODMAN: You were in the white jacket?

ELLI PEARSON: Yes, I was.

AMY GOODMAN: And what did the pepper-spraying feel like?

ELLI PEARSON: Well, I couldn’t see anything. And so, if I—you know, I felt like pepper spray go over my body, and then I started choking on the fumes. And I lifted my head at one point, and one of the protesters had come to kind of protect our huddle of people, and he just told me to keep my head down. And then, from that point on, all I could hear was screaming around me and people being jostled.

That warrants repeating: “We had encircled them, and they were trying to leave, and they were trying to clear a path. And so, we sat down, linked arms, and said that if they wanted to clear the path, they would have to go through us.”

This presents quite a different picture from what most media outlets have been depicting concerning this matter.

Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly appeared as a guest on The O’Reilly Factor Tuesday night, and affirmed on air that pepper spray is a derivative of the pepper plant. “It’s a food product, essentially,” she said.

The out-of-context comments were blasted across the Internet on Wednesday, with a grassroots movement attracting over 16,000 people to a petition, asking Kelly to, “eat or drink a full dose of pepper spray on national television.”

On Wednesday afternoon, TVNewser’s Chris Ariens spoke with Kelly about the incident, giving her a chance to explain what she said. All she really had to do was point to the entire interview, in which she says that the spray is abrasive and intrusive, and explains to Bill O’Reilly that what the students who were pepper sprayed were doing was “American.” She told Ariens that she even carries a bottle with her for protection.

“I think what happened was people didn’t watch the whole segment and assumed I was diminishing it,” Kelly told Ariens. “In no way did I mean to diminish what was happening.”

Watch the full O’Reilly – Kelly segment — all the way to the end! — courtesy of Fox News, below:

Interesting. I generally don’t trust Newsbusters for anything, but the link trail seems to lead to a pro-OWS site, and that site says that same thing.. so go figure.

Certainly, I would say that they had no business preventing cops from leaving the scene preventing officers from leaving. It’s only mentioned in passing, and quickly dropped as a line of questioning in the interview. I’d certainly like more color on this.

That said, it does not appear at the timing of the video that the officers are trapped or encircled in any way, nor does it seem that they are in any imminent danger. I don’t see why they couldn’t have picked up a protester, cuffed him/her, then repeated for the entire circle as Plainly suggested the other day. A heavy dose of pepper spray directly into their faces (and a double coat!) still strikes me as extremely excessive. I’d also add that if a line of people is blocking your way, there is no need to spray the whole line – just a enough to clear a path.. just a thought. And the officer in the video did not appear to be in any way intimidated or afraid of his situation as he casually walked up and down the line, then shaking his can, before spraying some more.

HOWEVER, since there is an independent review on the way / in the works, I will wait and see what it says in light of this new information.

I don’t understand the left’s obsession with Fox. Why are they fighting against a cable channel? During the bang drumming union rallies in Madison last spring, there were tons of signs against Fox News. Huh?

FOX does not report news, it creates news or controversies. Remember none of the networks thought ACORN was newsworthy, so FOX must have made up all those reports. It can’t be true because, because, FOX and all conservatives are just racists, that’s why!!!

Oh, another FOX fabrication, ignore the Dept. of Justice part, because, this is from FOX…..

“This report confirms that ACORN and its rebranded affiliates have used fiscal sponsorship in an illegal and abusive manner to launder taxpayer funds into its own coffers,” said Daniel Epstein, executive director of Cause of Action, a Washington, D.C.-based independent, nonprofit government watchdog that has monitored the actions of ACORN over the years.

It was also discovered during the Justice Department’s investigation that NYACA had internal control weaknesses, unsupported grant expenditures and a weakness in budget management. Also, according to the audit, the NYACA had no actual employees and responsibilities for the nonprofit were handled by workers from ACORN.

“That’s consistent with how ACORN sets up its system. ACORN is like an octopus. They set their tentacles out with these different 501 (c) 3s to receive funding from the government. These companies serve no other function than to fund ACORN with grant money,” Epstein said.

Ok LOI, here’s the funny thing – ACORN wasn’t and isn’t newsworthy. It was as small community organization that was trying to help minorities. But Fox News and the right-wing media got everyone whipped up into hysteria over it. And James O’keefe’s video’s proved that ACORN was…a small time organization not staffed or trained to handle the spotlight.

And yet it’s still the right-wing boogey-man guaranteed to get a reaction…I surprised Palin or Trump or Perry haven’t demanded that we cut down all oak trees to stop the incessant supply of ACRONS.

And isn’t it kind of ironic that…to prove Fox News was right…you use another Fox News story??? 😉

How many other stories has the networks avoided reporting? Can you think of any??

In those few stories network reporters often downplayed the allegations against climate scientists by calling them “mistakes” or a “series of gaffes,” others sympathized with the accused scientists or insisted that the science supporting global warming alarmism was solid. Journalists even accepted “whitewash” investigations into the matter that supposedly “exonerated” the climate scientists.

The scandal over those leaked files was dubbed ClimateGate and dominated headlines – particularly in Britain. But here in the U.S., the three broadcast networks went on as if nothing had happened for nearly 14 days.

It wasn’t until the evening of the 14th day that one network program, NBC “Nightly News,” finally reported on the climate science controversy. But that first story was not the beginning of a flood of network coverage of ClimateGate. Since Nov. 19, 2009, the broadcast networks have only mentioned the scandal or the University of East Anglia in a paltry 12 stories.

Twelve stories. Why so little coverage? Myron Ebell, director of energy and global warming policy for the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), told the Business & Media Institute, “I think it’s pretty obvious why the networks and major papers have ignored ClimateGate. It’s because they don’t want to consider the possibility that the sort of monolithic [global warming] consensus that they support and are a part of is based on junk science.”

A couple of weeks ago you and I swapped words relative to the folks down your way who at overrun by them pesky corn rats (Deer) and wild pig critters. As I recall you mentioned the ranchers down that way have ample tags, but not enough hunters.

I would have no problem rounding up a posse of responsible hunters and making a trip down that way next season to eradicate both deer and pigs. We can bring all kinds of weapons and we are all good shots.

Let me know if that is realistic and if so maybe we can swap email and discuss off-line.

CM….sure thing….I know several ranchers. We even have 250 doe permits for our ranch. Pigs require no permit….just plenty of ammo and good shots….however, do not get “caught” with assault type weapons hunting deer. First of all, we will not let you….we are true hunters down here and not slaughterers, on the deer. Pigs….well that is another story….hand grenades, Claymores, machine guns, stinger missiles…….whatever you want to bring. You cannot kill enough of them….even the professional trappers have a hard time. Average feral runs about 300 pounds….some up to 800 pounds. Each sow has a litter four to six times per year averaging 12-15…..Russian boar and Razorbacks will attack a horse…so you gotta be careful there…..the terrain on most ranches is to rough for ATV’s and “mules”……where the pigs are….unless you hunt at night when the pigs get into the fields and destroy them. We had a herd on our ranch that was estimated at over 300 in just one Alfalfa field when we spot lighted it. Our pig population on 25,000 acres is estimated at 1,500…..and growing. We do not and will not use poisons…no rancher will. We brought about 100 pigs onto our place about 10 years ago to stem the snake population (pigs eat snakes)…little did we realize and the county agent did not tell us, was the incredible reproduction cycle of a friggin’ pig….and how horny the boars got. Worse than rabbits and goats. Now we have NO snakes and a plethora of grunting, squealing, crapping, and field destroying marauders…..that have bred with Razorbacks and Russian Boars…….

All that to say……the deer and pigs we shoot…are not left to the buzzards ( although they gotta eat too )…but we donate the meat to homeless shelters and boy/girl scout game dinner fund raisers. So……get my email from USW and we can talk……happy to have a fellow Sufaite……

Okie Dokie. Yeah I know about the reproductive abilities of pigs, had them on the farm as a kid. My brother and I use to catch snakes and throw them into the pin with the sow my uncle had…boy what a visual carnage that was. My hunting clan and I have some time hunting Russians with both Bows and rifle. Interestingly enough Bows seem to be more effective, less trauma I guess. Biggest one’s we have killed though didn’t quite make 400 lbs, although they are meaner than snakes. They always want to try and knock you down, which makes it a little more interesting when you are stalking them.

No worries on assualt weapons, everything we all have is traditional. .243, 25-06, 30-06, 250 roberts, 7MM Mag, 8MM Mag, 12 gauge and of course my favorite “Old-Painless”, my Model 1895 45-70 Marlin. Old Painless and the 8MM Mag will really knock those boars dicks in the dirt.

Yes 257 is correct, didn’t notice my error until I had already posted. I appreciate the Savage’s as well, although I forget the model # mine is a bolt action composite stock in 7MM Mag. It is a real shooter. Have fun with the 243.

Kathy left a question on the recent goosing of the bank system in Europe by the coordinated action of numerous Central Banks around the world.

She asked a couple of very good questions.

JAC is correct regarding the potential consequence of such goosing – high inflation, with a short term run up of the Stock Markets.

However, Kathy asked a followup question …

If this is to save the Euro, why was it done in US Dollars?

The PIIGS are in trouble due to debt in Euro.
They are still in trouble. This was a US$ action, not a Euro action.

The global “quantitative easing” into Europe was not to save Greece or Italy.

It was to save the European banks. Obviously, the banks faced a liquidity shortage.

There has been a run on the banks in Europe – large withdrawals, and bank runs will typically ask the withdrawal to be done in the world’s #1 currency – the US$.

European banks were running out of US dollars, and were losing their base capital. They obviously were approaching insolvency. European banks are among the largest, and their insolvency threatened the whole system.

This was a sudden crisis of solvency of the banks – and nothing to do with Italy or Greece debt.

There is more going on in Europe, behind the scenes, then what is apparent, and it all shows that things are not good at all.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will see more “stuff going on”, because remember, the real problem – large sovereign debt – has not been touched at all by this.

AND……… Many of those European banks are owned, or partly owned by US Banks. The US Banks are also apparently holding notes and stock of European banks on their books as “assets”. Thus a default of the European bank would devalue the assets here, thus causing another financial lock up.

Another little factor. The Euro Zone is prohibited by its bylaws from “inflating” away their debt problems. The USA is not constrained in that way.

As you say. There is much going on behind the scenes. I watched an interview with the Dallas Fed Chair last evening. Summary…ALL IS GOOD.

Then followed interviews with traders, bankers, economists and my favorite, Peter Schiff. ALL of them said this is NOT good but a sign of just how desperate the Central Banks are getting.

Another footnote on the economic stuff. The ex Comptroller General made a statement yesterday that is very telling. He flat stated that we have 2 to 3 years, AT THE MOST, before the USA will suffer a major “debt crisis”. BUT, he said, it could also happen at any time. He also said that it was most likely NOTHING will be done to address the problem until after the 2012 elections. And that we have from now until then to TELL THE TRUTH to the American people about the state of our entitlement, social and other federal programs.

In other words, as long as the people believe the lies they are being fed about how our condition is “no big deal” there is no chance to avoid the crash.

Staggering thought, the Fed had already agreed to 7.7 trillion in loans while they were telling congress how vital it was to loan 700 billion.
I think Bama brought this up a couple days ago, sorry I didn’t have time to weigh in…

The Federal Reserve doled out a staggering 7.77 trillion dollars in secret loans in an effort to stabilize banks during the financial crisis — cheap money from the public purse that the banks subsequently lent out at higher rates for a profit of $13 billion dollars, Bloomberg News reports.

Although Bloomberg has been publishing findings from its analysis of over 29,000 pages of documents since August, the true magnitude of the central bank’s intervention during the economic crisis has only come to light in recent days.

“Add up guarantees and lending limits,” the Bloomberg report states, “and the Fed had committed $7.77 trillion as of March 2009 to rescuing the financial system, more than half the value of everything produced in the U.S. that year.”

The $7.77 trillion figure is distinct from the money given to banks under the Treasury Department’s $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program bailout endeavor, which was approved by Congress.

At the time of TARP’s passage, members of Congress were unaware of the extent of the Fed’s behind-the-scenes lending activity.

Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown told Bloomberg that, although the loans were eventually repaid, access to information regarding the loans may have significantly altered the Congress’ approach to TARP.

“When you see the dollars the banks got, it’s hard to make the case these were successful institutions,” Brown said, referring to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s insistence in April 2009 that only “sound institutions” received emergency loans.

The report singles out Bank of America and Citigroup as clear exceptions to Bernanke’s statement; though each bank received $45 billion from TARP, they were at the time also being propped up by $91.5 and $99.4 billion dollars in Fed-approved loans, respectively.

The information, the Bloomberg report notes, was also kept from Congress during debate over the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill in 2010.

BRIGHAM CITY — It wasn’t his dog’s bark or bite that had a Brigham City man concerned, it was his aim.

A man was recovering Wednesday after being shot over the weekend by his dog.

A 46-year-old Brigham City man and a friend were duck hunting Sunday about 8:30 a.m. on the north end of the Great Salt Lake near the bird refuge, about 10 miles west of Brigham City.

The two had their canoe-like boat in a shallow marsh area when the man got out of the boat to either set up or collect decoys. He laid his 12-gauge shotgun across the bow of the boat, said Box Elder County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Kevin Potter.
“(The dog) did something to make the gun discharge. I don’t know if the safety device was on. It’s not impossible the dog could have taken it off safety.”
–Deputy Kevin Potter

After the man got out of the boat, a dog inside the vessel jumped up on the bow and stepped on the gun. The gun fired and shot the man in the buttocks.

Medical crews later removed 27 pellets of birdshot.

“(The dog) did something to make the gun discharge,” Potter said. “I don’t know if the safety device was on. It’s not impossible the dog could have taken it off safety.”

The men called 911 and walked to the main road to wait for emergency crews. The fact the man was wearing waders likely helped prevent a more serious injury, Potter said. The gun was fired from approximately 10 feet away, he said.

Potter did not have information on the type of dog that stepped on the shotgun.

Good morning, Counselor………just spent some time with a nephew that lives in New York…he has confirmed my suspicions….you guys really are crazy up there. He did not want to eat eggs and jalapeno cheese grits smothered in butter and fresh bacon from a back strap,,………he and his female companion wanted Starbucks and Yogurt and dry wheat toast. What is up with that? They drink nothing but 2% milk. No wonder ya’ll think the way you do…you have no nourishment.

Nice dog story……sorta like the “dog ate my homework”……the reality is….the guy in back forgot to put the safety on….discharged the weapon accidentally while climbing out of the canoe, shot his buddy in the butt…it was not serious but embarrassing….the dog gets blamed. Sorta like grandfather sitting in the chair and contributing to the ozone with a bean and taco horrendous fart, polluting the air in the family room where everybody looks around..as he calmly looks at the sleeping dog and says “damned dog”…….just my take.

****at Canine Weapon**** I know it was not you….you would not have been so lenient with being left in the canoe….

BF says: “The PIIGS are in trouble due to debt in Euro.They are still in trouble. This was a US$ action, not a Euro action.The global “quantitative easing” into Europe was not to save Greece or Italy. It was to save the European banks. Obviously, the banks faced a liquidity shortage.There has been a run on the banks in Europe – large withdrawals, and bank runs will typically ask the withdrawal to be done in the world’s #1 currency – the US$.”

D13 says: On target….dead center. To bolster this….all of the money we are confiscating on the US AND Canadian borders are in USD. I have seen no gold, no silver, no platinum, no Sterling, no Pesos, no DM, no Yuan, no Rubles…..no grog, no RB, no DP……nothing but USD. In addition, the clearing houses and currency exchange markets located in Mexico deal only with USD as a base…..in other words, if you wish to exchange currency to buy drugs and you bring a handful of Rubles……it will be exchanged at a rate of 25% lower than the USD and all transactions are USD. This is important for only one reason………the USD is the most stable currency over the yuan and the euro and the Sterling. That is also why you will not see a world currency that is not USD transaction based. THAT is important to remember in all of this world crises. That is why China and these other countries have no corporate income taxes and the American companies are leaving…….more bang for the buck and the demand for USD. (Economics 101) Sorry Charlie, my Plutonian friend, it is the way of the world.

The power of the world is not nukes or an Army or Navy……it is the buck…….that ever growing sought after magical piece of worthless paper,,,,but still worth much more than hard trading items and other currencies. It matters not if the world economy crashes…..the US, despite all of its faults….is still the tallest hog in the trough and when the smoke clears…..it will not be the masses in control……the USD will be in control and who controls the USD.

I might also add that the hard trading on the Mexican border is done with drugs and guns and prostitutes……if USD is not available. Prostitutes are traded for drugs and drugs traded for guns and ammo. Gold is traceable…no trading. Silver is traceable…no trading…all hard metals are traceable…..no trading. Commodities are traceable…..no trading. Remember, I am not talking trade agreements here….I am talking on the border mano y mano trading.

The really sad part of it is the demand for drugs and under age prostitutes (as young as 10) in the US.

I am getting very disgusted with what we are finding and what the media does not report. Catching the human trafficking of kidnapped prostitutes (ages 10-15 from Central and South America), and from Russia and the Ukraine (ages 16- 30). I am disgusted at Mexico allowing this to even get to the border through their ports. I am disgusted at the Mexican Army escorting the cartel drugs and whores to the US border. I am disgusted that this administration is silent on this. I am disgusted that our own Governor Perry is very aggressive…..quietly on the Texas border but “kow tows” to the god d***** vote for President. I am disgusted at the liberal social media and individuals that wish to blame the United States for this when we have the laws in place to stop it. This border is a war zone. It is dangerous and it is volatile. Even the drug runners know not to run anymore because the friggin Obama administration simply turns them loose and that is criminal. They run to the nearest Federal agent and turn themselves in….because the feds will not incarcerate or prosecute….they take them to the bridges and turn them loose…..and the runners actually laugh and “fly the bird”. Eventually, they will cross our sights..then we see who has the last laugh.

The Texas contingent that is supported by State dollars will continue to shoot to kill. The ranchers will continue to shoot to kill….because the cartels are shooting to kill and when they do…seek asylum from the Feds only to be turned loose.

Sorry for the rabbit trail and blowing off steam..it is because of the USD and the demand for it….was my point.

And, my leftward leaning friends, legalizing prostitution and drugs will NOT stop the problem….you will still have the cartels fighting for the supply routes….and organized crime will become more violent. The only way to stop it……is to hit the “johns” and the “users”. Hit the demand side……as well as the supply side. At any rate,….again, the point is the USD. IT is the King.

Newt Gingrich caused a bit of a stir at Tuesday night’s CNN GOP debate when he said that not every illegal in the country should be deported. Gingrich said, “I don’t see how the party that says it’s the party of the family is going to adopt an immigration policy which destroys families that have been here a quarter century. And, I’m prepared to take the heat for saying ‘Let’s be humane in enforcing the law without giving them citizenship but by finding a way to create legality so that they are not separated from their families.’”

I think that everybody knows you cannot pick up and deport people who have actually established roots here. I am all for a reasonable process for those that are established. But those do not number in the millions, It has been my experience, that those whom are established are 2 of ten and reinvest in the community….the rest,,,,,,,,,freeloaders.

Shut the border down now….tight……deal with those that are here……and enforce the laws we already have on the books. Make illegal entry a criminal offense.

I hear they’ve been digging tunnels for drug running. I hear they have fully submersible submarines. How, pray tell, do you think it’s even remotely possible to to shut down “tight” an entire border. This is not a “should we” question. I’m talking logistics here. The border is MASSIVE, and people with pressure to get here (jobs, safer, etc) are very creative. How do you believe this is doable?

One good tunnel extending a mile past the border could unload tens of thousands of immigrants in a day (in addition to whatever drugs). The coastline is huge too. No fence there. And, also, what about the Canadian border? What about legitimate entrants into the country (“tourists” / “students” / etc), but who just “fail to leave” and then drop off the map?

I am with Mathius in asking just how the border can possibly be shut down tight? I don’t believe there is any plan, or amount of tax dollars, that can achieve that goal.

We can improve border security, but people must get off their respective “no-give” positions on immigration reform to accomplish any improvements in border security. Illegal immigrants and drug smugglers are two separate issues, even though drug smugglers will use those crossing as mules. They should be dealt with individually. Remove the necessity for immigrants to sneak in, which I have proposed before in my writings (I’ll spare everyone yet another link to my writing on immigration reform), and then we have less to focus on in illegal border crossings. We’d be after the smugglers and able to direct more assets at that issue instead of diluting the enforcement of the border.

This nation is not going to ever achieve the goal of tossing out the millions of illegal immigrants that are here, or will continue being here. That is another pipe dream that has no substance in reality – IMHO. A dead horse that has been beaten to death.

And, D13, I just have to say the comment about the illegals and smugglers running into the arms of the feds because they’ll just get released back over the border……..yep, they will if the agree to voluntarily return to Mexico. The feds can no more hold a smuggler without evidence of him being a smuggler that the local/state authorities could (unless of course there is going to be more laws written and used that are anti-Constitutional). Also, the voluntary return policy used by Border Patrol has been around for decades (used and supported by both Republican and Democratic administrations) as I bet you know sir.

Make illegal entry a criminal offense.

How much will the incarceration costs taxpayers? How about the costs of detention and prosecution? How much more of a clog will this bring to the court system? How about the costs of building more prisons to lock up the thousands (millions even) of illegal immigrants serving time for the “crime” of crossing the border?

I offered my plan a few weeks ago on this site. It got some discussion but not enough. The problem is solvable but the pols won’t move off their hard possitions to find a sensible solution. As stated above the first step is to secure the border. It will take manpower and investment but it can be done. I fail to understand why all sides can’t agree on this as a first step.

In the following I am not trying to start any kind of argument T-Ray. I remember the previous discussion and I wished there had been more discussion then and that’s what I am trying to get going here – more discussion.

As stated above the first step is to secure the border

Because one side refuses to move off this hard position, I believe this is one of the reasons why the issue will likely continue to be unresolved.

But, to try and generate more discussion on the immigration issue I’d like to ask some questions. How much manpower do you think it will take, and in what form? How much investment do you project it will take? How will that investment be paid for, especially by conservative Right that demands less expenditures by the federal government? How long, would you estimate, would it take to secure the border under your plan? Should we just bring home all our troops in foreign countries (which would meet with my approval) and militarize the US southwestern border (since we know when most talk about securing the border they don’t mean the coastlines or the US-Canada border)?

You have never been shaken down by ACORN, I have. It is a nationwide organization originally out of Brooklyn. they specialize in no show jobs and extortion at construction sites. had a project where 100% of my workers were Hispanic, Dominican, Puerto Rican, Ecuadorian and Colombian in a neighborhood that was about 90% Hispanic. “Organizers” from Brooklyn came to the Manhattan site and said I did not have enough minority workers.

Without my knowledge or permission,( I was going to the Cops and DA) my workers took care of the problem by the expedient of dropping a toilet out a sixth floor window as the two ACORN guys left and explaining that construction sites are dangerous places.

So, because we can’t close it “tight” we shouldn’t do it? If we only stop 90, 80 or 70% it’s not worth it? That is illogical. Newt went for what I have been proposing for the last ten years. If you come forward, register and have a clean record, you stay, permanent resident only. Get convicted of a crime, its revoked, out you go. Don’t come forward, out you go, Have a criminal record, out you go. Simple.

If anyone out there thinks that Fox gets it any better than anyone else, wrong. Within 24 hours I heard Newt’s plan twice described by two different commentators as a “Path to Citizenship”. That either makes them anti-Newt (trying to blow him out of the water) or stupid. In either event it just means that you, the innocent consumer, have to personally vet everything you hear for accuracy. I’ve been doing that since Tet.

So, because we can’t close it “tight” we shouldn’t do it? If we only stop 90, 80 or 70% it’s not worth it?

I am not saying that at all. I believe securing the border is a process that can not be done in isolation. Saying get this fence up, cameras mounted, sensors buried, etc., BEFORE we take any other reform actions (which in and of themselves would likely contribute to securing the border as well) is unrealistic. This country has thrown a huge amount of money at the project over the past 10+ years and we still only have 700 of 2000 miles fenced and “secured”. Those already in the country have nothing to do with securing the border either since they are already here – so really – IMHO – they don’t play into the issue of securing the border from future crossings.

Blanket amnesty for those already here isn’t a part of the issue – directly – either, again because they are already here (though it could encourage others to come to the country to some degree if they think they could get amnesty).

Getting back to a point I have been making for years. We, the good old USA, have been building freaking noise barriers all over the country. So, for an economic boost, let’s build a six lane highway along the border for recreation purposes and place a 30 foot high noise barrier on the South Side.

I hate to keep harping on the fact that this country seventy years ago, defeated Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. We put a man on the moon in 1969 and a hundred years before built the transcontinental railroad. There is NOTHING the United States cannot do, if it wants to. The pro illegal immigration forces which include the last few presidents have done everything they can to stymie the building of that fence.

How long did it take Eisenhower to build the Interstate Highway system? I postulate that that was one hell of a lot more difficult than an enhanced noise barrier.

I’m not saying it can’t be done – I am saying that doing so and getting it finished BEFORE any other reform actions means there will be no reform. Further, reforming immigration polices, laws, rules, and procedures may negate the need for a wall across 2000 miles of southwestern border too. We certainly won’t know if that is true until we try.

For comparison, according to Wikipedia (I know, but for this simple fact it works fine): “Construction was authorized by the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 and took 35 years.” So, how long is the wall going to take? At what cost for what true benefit? No matter what it will have to be maintained and constantly monitored – and that has large associated costs as well.

Just looked at the map. We will call it the San Diego-Yuma-Columbus-El Paso-Brownsville, Freedom Highway US Rt. 1776. What an economic boom it will be not to mention the recreation opportunities it will open up.

The original system was 46,000 miles long. I remember some of the difficulties including the terrain ones. Seems that US 1776 would be a bit easier.

Obama – you feel more and more like the 5 day old Hamburger Helper in the back of the fridge I eyed up this morning. You were good the first time – but I don’t know if I risk having you for lunch today.

Is it time to hope for 2016 yet? The next 5 years aren’t looking too good.

Huntsman — unfortunately no one cares
Sarah — doubtful, though i’m sure she has something cooked up to get the attention back on her
Mitt — it was like watching a trainwreck
Newt — baffles the mind
Cain — agreed
Bachmann – i sincerely hope not
Paul — have you noticed just how old he looks at the debates? just really old.
Obama — true in a lot of respects, but get used to it for another 4-yrs. everything else in the fridge is moldy and has a bad scent to it.

As protestors would contend, the rich are getting richer, which has widened the gap of income inequality. According to Schulz, “Two forces — globalization and advanced technology — have combined to heap enormous rewards on the top of the income distribution.” This is especially apparent in the “bluest” areas of the country, including New York, Washington, Chicago, and California. However, the proposed remedy, to tax the rich even more and redistribute their wealth to lower income people, has a threshold. Even New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been critical of new taxes in New York, fearing a grim economic future if the state continues raising taxes and being anti-business.

A second problem, at the opposite end of the spectrum, is adding large pools of unskilled immigrants to the labor pool. Doing so inevitably “depresses the wages of the native born at the low end of the income distribution.” While there is a wide range of views on immigration, many of the OWS protestors support the welfare of undocumented immigrants, a large driver in creating the very income inequality they denounce.

Finally, the collapse of stable family units has also widened economic inequality. With the growth in single-mother households without two incomes supporting the family, there has been an explosion in economic disparities. In fact, “Social scientists routinely find that individuals raised in intact families are generally better equipped to thrive in the economy. Today’s 99% is teeming with tens of millions of Americans who were not raised in a stable home environment, and their earnings potential is compromised as a result.” Of course, there is no easy fix to this cultural problem, but it is unlikely that OWS has proposed any solutions to fix it.

Some good points there. But I would like to address one of the more popular, but not entirely “accurate”, claims.

That is the “single parent” household. Notice that the claim is ALWAYS that single mothers with kids create bad economic outcomes for them and their kids. But this misses the underlying CAUSE.

The single parent is obviously in the lower skill labor pool. Because I have to tell you that a single mother who happens to be the President of a bank or a Director of a company can support her kid, or kids just fine on ONE salary.

Now, I do think that there are other factors in single parent homes that can have bad effects on kids. But it is not lack of money due to needing “two incomes” or even lack of educational opportunities. Those are tied to the earning capacity of the parent, which in turn depends on the parents education and drive.

I agree, it’s not always. Many single mothers are successful at raising their children. I think most do less well than families with two parents. I also think having both a mother and a father figure is important to both boys and girls
A not so successful single mom….

Isn’t that a “common sense” answer? The liberal line is to agree that someone has to pay, the children are here now and shouldn’t have to suffer, and they need to be in a stable home environment with their mother(don’t mention the baby daddy).

Here’s the problem. If a woman has 15 children and raises them all herself with other people’s money, then they will grow up expecting to live off other people’s money and have 15 children each. Now we have 225 children on the dole. When each of those children grows up to have 15 children, it’s now 3,375 children on the dole. After 5 generations, this one woman will have given rise to 759,375 children all of whom are paid for by someone else’s money because “someone needs to take responsibility.” Three more generations, and there are 2.5 billion of them.

In the next generation, there are 37.5 billion of her progeny on welfare, but it won’t matter much since 37.5 billion people living in the same apartment will result in density of (charitably), of 16,678,012 gm/cm3.. 1.4 million times denser than lead.. and nearly twice the density of Black Flag’s skull.

At this density, it wouldn’t collapse into a neutron star, but it would very readily produce diamonds from the carbon of the welfare recipients at the center. These diamonds could be sold to offset the cost of living.

Interestingly, as they produce more diamonds (and thus become wealthier), they would tend to expand into a larger apartment and/or gain enough education to figure out how to use condoms, the density would decrease. With the decrease in density, they would be able to produce fewer and smaller diamonds. This would decrease their wealth and cause them to contract back into a single bedroom, thus raising the density and resuming diamond production.

This feedback mechanism should settle into equilibrium with a few hundred years.

Again, the joy of working at bootstrap level in the inner city was meeting people like Muriel at 1776 Davidson Ave, Bx, NY. A 43 year old multiple great grandmother. Had her first at 13, was a grandma at 26 and a great grandma in her late thirties. Woman was smart as a whip, no education to speak of but had real talent. Her mother and grandmother were both single Moms and on welfare as was she and her offspring. She was a case study for somebody like Patrick Moynihan, how good intentions destroy people!

I don’t think the headlines and the narrative being spread around the media and blogosphere matches up with what this study actually reveals. After reviewing the reference above I am not sure in fact what one can conclude from the results, except that most people don’t know much. I am guessing because most people really don’t care. But then a simple viewing of Jay Leno’s Man in the Street, or whatever he calls it, reveals this truth.

To the point. Here is the lead paragraph of the referenced story:

“According to the latest results from Fairleigh Dickinson University’s PublicMind Poll,
some news sources make us less likely to know what’s going on in the world.”

So the claim is that the news source is responsible for the lack of knowledge. But that is not what the study is constructed to discover. That is now the hypothesis developed from this study. Much more and different investigation is needed to discover the CAUSE as opposed to the symptoms.

For example, notice that over 50% responded as having gotten news from various sources. So if 60% plus answered for several sources, how can you determine that ONE source is responsible for the wrong answer?

And if you adjust the group size to eliminate those with multiple sources, you destroy the accuracy of the result, which is already at +/- 3%.

But of course this really doesn’t matter because the “narrative” has already been constructed and planted in society by those who believe Fox watchers to be stupid. It is now just another story confirming the bias. Forgotten was the study of a year or two ago showing that “conservatives” tended to score higher on such tests than “liberals”.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Notice in the article that the right or wrong answer on the OWS crowds was whether they were identified as Democrat or Republican. EXCUSE ME???? I thought OWS was supposedly a “NON PARTISAN” movement representing 99% of the population??? WTF over?

I do see one excellent point made in this article. Those who watch and listen to shows where information is exchanged in a calm manner are more likely to hear the information and retain it. These show hosts and panels with all the yelling and talking over each other just TURN OFF the listener.

These programs are predicated, although not managed, on the concept of insurance.

I can hardly think of anything so UN-American.

The Govt TAKES our money without our permission (called theft in most civilized societies) then “promises” to provide us with certain benefits at some point in the future as return for the theft. All the time hoping that you will DIE before you can demand they make good on this “promise”, knowing full well you must DIE in order for them to keep the promise to those who don’t DIE on schedule.

So here is my compromise solution:

Federalize INDIVIDUAL retirement and medical savings accounts. The Fed Govt may borrow from these accounts at a rate equal to the rate of inflation PLUS 3%.

Just because it is lunchtime and sometimes I enjoy stirring up the pot:

The next 5 years are going to SUCK (as Buck already said… at least I think it was Buck…)

If you are a:

1. Republican
2. “Conservative”
3. Libertarian

you probably should be hoping for an Obama victory in 2012. Whichever party wins the Presidency in 2012 is going to be doomed to 50 years (minimum) of total obscurity and scorn starting in 2016, because by then, the extent of just how big a mess we are in will be obvious to even the biggest idiots on the planet. If I were the Republicans, I would be doing everything in my power to make SURE that Obama gets easily reelected, even with his abysmal approval ratings.

Hmm… if you look at it in that light, the current Republican field makes PERFECT SENSE, no?

More nanny state nonsense. How many teens are killed in auto accidents? Maybe we should outlaw teen driving to protect them? How many kids are killed on city streeets with guns and knives? Maybe we should outlaw guns and knives? How many kids get into trouble because they are bored and have nothing to do? Work solves that.

Of the accidents that they listed, how many were simply that an accident. A kid in the wrong place at the wrong time when a tractor was being moved any different than a kid behind a car backing out of a garage? These are accidents not work related accidents.

I can remember being instructed by my Uncle when I was less than ten to give the rear end of a cow a wide berth because they could kick. I helped collect and candle over 500 eggs a day at 7. Hens peck and it hurts. I was driving tractors at 8. I helped roof a garage at 9 and helped build a house at 11. I went full time during summers on a construction crew at 13. There was no 6′ height limit. There were also no hand rails on our scaffolds.

The great Nanny State of California now mandates CO monitors in all homes. The number of deaths from CO is minor and many of them are caused by stupidity or are intentional. Monitors do not solve stupidity. Just one more instance of government intrusion into our homes.

Many see humor in The Movement and think we can’t be serious about voluntary human extinction, but in spite of the seriousness of both situation and movement, there’s room for humor. In fact, without humor, Earth’s condition gets unbearably depressing — a little levity eases the gravity.

True, wildlife rapidly going extinct and tens of thousands of children dying each day are not laughing matters, but neither laughing nor bemoaning will change what’s happening. We may as well have some fun as we work and play toward a better world.

Besides, returning Earth to its natural splendor and ending needless suffering of humanity are happy thoughts — no sense moping around in gloom and doom.

Proof that with every silver lining comes a black cloud. Oh shit!! Should I say “dark” cloud?

“From The Hill: Wall Street executives are bracing for the possibility that Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) will take over as the senior Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee after Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) retires. Waters is in line for Frank’s spot and could become chairwoman of the panel if Democrats retake the House. “

To answer your question on the border….in Texas and New Mexico it would be easy. We have actually almost done it because, sans Feds, we do not play well with others. The territory is also a great help in Texas and New Mexico. 95% of the Texas border is ranch land…PRIVATELY held and they, the ranchers, defend it well. SUFA’s very own D13 devised and was given permission to implement the program to incorporate the civilian ranchers into a cohesive force and have direct communication with the Texas National Guard, which is almost 30,000 strong. The ranchers have been given military training, satellite telephones, and immediate communication with National Guard units…..with drones and helicopters (blackhawks) stationed every 250 miles, our response time is 1 hour or less. Most of the Texas border is wild country full of snakes and other critters and plants that stab or poison you. Not one single dime of Federal money is used. We do not play around. If you are armed and you cross the border, there is one warning in English and Spanish. No warning shots are fired….they are aimed. Our problem is not the frontier border but the cities such as Laredo, McAllen, Eagle Pass, Brownsville. El Paso….etc. Those border crossings are Federal since it is a US boundary….however, 12 miles inland on every single highway, there is a manned TEXAS check point complete with x ray and dogs and military. What this has done is channeled the bulk of the traffic through Arizona and California. (New Mexico is all desert with a great expanse having White Sands Missile Range as a border. Relatively no water on either border other than the river.

We do not have much trouble with tunnels….it has been tried and we find them. There are no warehouses around and the river usually caves them in. They have to dig a lot further than 40ft. The last tunnel that was discovered was over 60 feet deep and full of dead people because the ventilation was not very good. The only other tunnel I am aware of was pretty shallow under a shallow part of the river and when discovered, we did not clear it…..just set a limpet charge in the river and the water did the rest. We also have a very extensive network of sound detection and tremor detection that requires a tunnel to be 150 feet deep to avoid setting them off. Lastly, we do not show favorites….if you run you will most likely die. True illegals (those looking for work), being shepherded by “coyotes” will sit down….the “coyotes” will run and usually do not get very far….lead poisoning slows them down a might, Yes, the border can be shut down with little cost…..but it takes the balls to do it. We have the brass and cast iron balls….and we are not politically correct. It is estimated by the US government that the crossings in Texas have dropped over 78%…..and it is all Texas’ doing. We will protect our own and the Feds be damned. Even the lawyers leave us alone now. La Raza is somewhat active but they leave us alone pretty much…they go to California which has NO balls.

Thanks for the post. I have heard many times in the corporate world, “Oh, we are not good at that.” The net result is failure, The problem is not ability but resolve. If you resolve to accomplish a mission, the means and resources become available. Success follows.

If you are armed and you cross the border, there is one warning in English and Spanish. No warning shots are fired….they are aimed.

There is much in your post that makes me wonder, but this bit concerns me to the point of needing to ask a question. So, are you saying they get one order to drop their weapon or what…..they get shot, maybe killed? Is this the attitude that law enforcement takes with ALL armed individuals in Texas or just those who illegally cross the border?

Especially the border…..it is real easy to pick out the criminals….they are the only ones armed that are escorting the undocumented across the border. They get one order to drop weapons……only one. If they attempt to run (which means they heard the order)…they are shot. That is the area I am concerned with….however, I do know that if you are a burglar and you are armed and you do not drop your weapon….I would not give you much of a chance. Texas has and uses deadly force.

But I am concerned on the border. You do not understand the mentality down here from the Mexican side. Life means literally nothing to the cartels and the smugglers. You need to see the dead that we find…women, children,men shot in the back of the head on the US side. The “coyotes” get up to 1500 dollars each to bring illegals across the border….it is 50/50 whether or not the illegals are killed by their own. You need to see the young kidnapped girls chained to the inside of “reefers” with nothing but a coffee can to relieve themselves in….ages 10 and up…..you need to deal with the cartels that use the innocent as shields……we do not have any….ANY….compassion for the armed. They are lucky if they run up against the Guard….the ranchers do not warn….they shoot. They shoot because they are shot if they do not. Sorry if it offends you but the general public has no idea what is going on and it is not reported. I live and work in this filth down here……and deal with a side of humanity I have not seen since Vietnam.

No, Plainly, it is not a situation of innocent until proven guilty here……if you cross the border at 2am and you are on private land……there is no innocent out there. So far, in 34 shootings in November, not one innocent has been shot by military or civilian….American military or civilian. I cannot say the same for Mexican military and civilian (ie. gangs and cartels).

I am not either insensitive to the issues of what is happening to the innocents by the cartels, or the difficulties in dealing with the the cartels. I too spent enough years working against the dark side of society – I have no illusions whatsoever.

Further I am not speaking to actions taken by private citizens, the ranchers, to protect their property and defend themselves and their families (or any innocent person). They act according to their beliefs and understanding of the laws – and I am sure they are prepared to accept any consequences for doing so. Texas is not the only state that has given it’s citizens/residents the rights of self protection. Among the many laws for affirmative defense in Colorado, the state is also famous for it’s “make my day” laws empowering us to defend ourselves, our families, our homes and property. Laws which I take seriously and will utilize to those ends.

My concern is for the police/military response to an armed individual. The men and women enforcing the law have sworn to uphold the US and Texas Constitutions, which I think we can agree places a higher standard upon them. that standard applies regardless of whom they are engaging, for once on US soil the application of those standards become a requirement in order to uphold their oaths. I am not saying they must await harm being done to them, but I believe we can also agree that just being armed does not mean that ones is a direct and imminent threat to the lives and safety of another. It is certainly a strong indicator for dealing with the person in the highest state of readiness and caution – but still abiding to the higher standard.

To add further. When we speak of the individuals who are being smuggled/guided into the country by these coyotes/cartels why are we not able to severely decrease the business the human smugglers get by making it simpler for these men, women and children to walk up to a legal entry point and – as I laid out before in my immigration article – after an ‘insta-check” style process to determine their identity and non-criminal background they be allowed entry?

Doesn’t a system in that line of thinking actually improve border security to a degree that would be beneficial to the nation?

“A review of the records by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution shows Cain sent 17 text messages to White, almost always responding to messages from her.” Hmmm, I don’t know who’s telling the truth but I find 17 messages from him and 43 or 53 sent by her-interesting. I also must say that the timing of the messages seems a moot point-if it is a text message-different calling someone at 5 in the morning-but a text-I send those whenever I have the time.

Just days before coming forward with allegations of a 13-year affair with Herman Cain, Ginger White was repeatedly having contact with the presidential candidate, according to her cellphone records.

Between Oct. 22 and Nov. 18, there were 70 text messages between White’s cellphone and Cain’s cellphone. Some were as early as 4:54 a.m., and some came late into the night.

Lin Wood, Cain’s attorney, told the AJC on Wednesday that he thinks most of the messages were asking for money, which Cain has admitted to providing the Dunwoody woman who has repeatedly faced eviction. Cain has denied a physical relationship with White.

“Maintain common sense,” Wood said in an interview. “Mr. Cain was extremely busy in his campaign. He didn’t have time to send a lot of texts.”

A review of the records by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution shows Cain sent 17 text messages to White, almost always responding to messages from her.

On Wednesday, Wood sent a letter to White’s attorney, Edward Buckley, asking for her phone records to “test her credibility and motive” for coming forward to the media. Wood, in the letter, said he wanted to “ascertain whether the decision to grant interviews was politically motivated and to determine whether she has received or [been] promised money for participating.”

White, 46, first disclosed her relationship with Cain on Tuesday in an interview with Fox 5 Atlanta, where she produced months of phone records detailing 60 calls and text messages between her and Cain. White has given two more television interviews this week talking about the alleged affair, the latest coming Wednesday on national television. During an interview on “Good Morning America,” White said she knew Cain, 65, was married. She claims the retired McDonough executive lavished her with gifts and flew her around the country to meet him at places where he was speaking, or on one occasion, to Las Vegas to watch a Mike Tyson-Evander Holyfield boxing match. Cain denies that trip happened.

White’s attorney, Buckley, said his client had nothing to gain from revealing the alleged relationship and came forward only because a former friend was pitching the story to the media. He said White did not seek money to keep the relationship secret and wants only to tell her story on her terms.

“I can’t imagine waking up and deciding to come out with this if this was not true,” White said in the “Good Morning America” interview. “This has been a very difficult situation for myself, for my family. It is nothing I am proud of. The truth of the matter is, when I entered into this inappropriate relationship with Mr. Cain, I was single. I was not married. Mr. Cain has been married throughout the entire relationship and it is unfortunate.”

Critics of White, including Cain supporters, said they think money is at the root of her allegations. Both White and Cain acknowledged that Cain has helped her financially, but White said in the GMA interview the relationship was not “sex for cash.”

White’s cash flow problems have followed her for years. In 2001, she filed for bankruptcy, and she has been sued numerous times for allegedly failing to pay rent, including nine times this year, most of them by Ashford Park Apartments in Dunwoody.

“She’d come up with the rent and they’d dismiss their claim,” Buckley said.

Cain has said White is “troubled.”

Wood, who has made a name for himself filing defamation and libel suits, said he and Cain are frustrated by the accusations. “There’s no way to effectively defend yourself in the court of public opinion,” Wood said. “It boils down to a he-said, she-said.”

White said she was disappointed that Cain has now labeled her as “troubled.” She said only Cain can decide if he should continue to seek the presidency in light of their relationship becoming public.

“That is something that he has to look himself in the mirror and ask himself,” White said. “Last night, I slept very well telling the truth. I am not sure what is going on in his head right now, but it is unfortunate that any of this is going on.”